Islamist radicals, who control northern Mali, are imposing a harsh version of sharia law and doling out brutal punishments to civilians. (Washington Post)

This land-locked, former French colony, nestled in the Sahara Desert could become a key point for the next war on terrorism as attacks against civilians in the north grow more brutal. Radical Islamists have transformed vast stretches of desert in the north into an enclave for al-Qaeda militants and other jihadists. They have imposed a hard-edged brand of sharia law, echoing Afghanistan’s Taliban movement, in this West African country where moderate Islam has thrived for centuries.

People are deprived of basic freedoms, historic tombs have been destroyed, and any cultural practices deemed un-Islamic are banned. Refugees fleeing the north are now bringing stories that are darker than those recounted in interviews from this summer.